Steak with Béarnaise sauce
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Steak with Béarnaise sauce

John Torode turns up the heat and shows us how to cook the perfect steak

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 10 mins

Method

  1. To make the Béarnaise sauce, put the vinegar, wine, shallot and tarragon stalks in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then continue to cook until reduced by about 3/4. Cool and pour into in a large stainless steel bowl.
  2. Put the bowl over a pan of just-simmering water, add the yolks and, with electric beaters, whisk until the yolks are thick and pale (PIC 1).
  3. Take the bowl off the heat and put it on a work surface. Start to add the melted butter, little by little, whisking all the time until all the butter is used. Stir in chopped tarragon leaves and keep warm (you can put the bowl back over the pan off the heat).
  4. Put a heavy frying pan or griddle on the heat and leave it for at least 7-8 minutes before you start cooking. Lay the steaks on a board. There is a layer of sinew running between the fat and the meat in sirloin steaks, which you need to snip through so the steak doesn't curl up in the pan and cooks evenly. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut through the fat to the flesh so the flesh is now exposed a little (PIC 2).
  5. Rub the steak all over with oil and then season really, really well. Drop the steak into the pan when it is so hot it is hard to put your hand near the surface. Leave the steak for 2 minutes, then turn it over and give it 2 minutes on the other side.
  6. Now cook for a minute extra for each cm of the steak's thickness, to get a medium- done steak. (So a 4cm steak needs 4 minutes extra - which is 2 minutes extra each side.) Take out and rest under foil for 5 minutes.
  7. Slice the steak against the grain (PIC 3). Serve with Béarnaise and watercress.

Per serving

828 kcalories, protein 64.8g, carbohydrate 0.6g, fat 62.1 g, saturated fat 31.2g, fibre 0g, salt 0.86 g

Recipe from olive magazine, March 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 25 July 2010

    mharding83 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Excellent recipe - easy and lots of flavour!

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  • 27 April 2011

    Frances Booth rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    fantastic sauce!

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  • 07 October 2011

    SavedRecipes rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yum. And the sauce was much easier to make than expected, really delicious.

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  • 14 August 2012

    Mimerelli rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Super simple and easily modified. Definitely a favorite!

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  • 08 April 2013

    Chef_kod commented on this recipe

    Don't put the steak under the tin foil to rest as it will steam and it will make the steak soft and loose the bite

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 10 mins

Ingredients

  • 4 really thick sirloin steaks (4cm each)
  • vegetable oil

FOR THE BEARNAISE

  • 50ml white wine vinegar
  • 50ml white wine
  • 1 shallot , chopped
  • bunch tarragon , stalks and leaves separated
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 120g butter , melted and kept warm
  • watercress , to serve
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Per serving

828 kcalories, protein 64.8g, carbohydrate 0.6g, fat 62.1 g, saturated fat 31.2g, fibre 0g, salt 0.86 g

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